Can Gold Medalist Xander Schauffele Qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics?

The world of sports is eagerly waiting for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The American golf sensation Xander Schauffele won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. After finishing with a score of -18 after four rounds of competition, the golfer won the men’s solo stroke play competition. With a calm last putt, the 27-year-old Californian ruined Slovakian Rory Sabbatini’s dreams of winning the gold medal. Sabbatini finished the final round at -17. The PGA Tour pro would be looking forward to recreating his winning moment again, especially because of his stunning play at the PGA Championship. The question now arises: whether he will be able to make it two in a row.

What is Xander Schauffele’s chance to qualify for the Olympics?

Almost 100 percent. Yes, you heard it right. The 30-year-old has almost a full chance of making it to the 2024 Summer Olympics. The main route for golfers hoping to play in the Olympics is the Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR). For two years, points are accrued depending on performances in authorized competitions. The most recent 13 weeks’ worth of points have a 100% weight, but older scores steadily lose value. Schauffele, who is presently rated third in the world, needs to keep up and get better to qualify for the Olympics.

Xander Schauffele has an impressive resume. He won gold in an exciting final at Tokyo 2020, displaying remarkable talent and poise. With an average of 6.4981 points over 44 tournaments, he comes in third place. This consistency is encouraging for his chances of qualifying. The road to reach Paris is difficult and tough, and the golfer knows it. He is still determined, though. “Yeah, people have asked me sort of, like, You’re not exempt for the Olympics? And I was like, Do you think Michael Phelps was exempt? He had to swim and qualify every single time he made it back to the Olympics, so — which is even more impressive,” he said.

When he won four years ago, there were no fans allowed to witness the moment. The golfer shared the special moment with his loving grandparents and loved every bit of it: “It was super special having my grandparents there. That sort of made everything OK, despite the fact that there were no fans. Being able to show off the medal to my grandparents after sneaking them into the hotel was awesome.”

The deadline for qualification is June 17, 2024. The top 15 athletes on the OGR, up to a maximum of four athletes per nation, will receive direct Olympic quota spots by this date. The remaining slots will be filled by competitors who are ranked lower than the top 15, with a maximum of two athletes per nation. There is a minimum divisor of 40 events over two years and a maximum of 52 events for male golfers. This guarantees that performance and participation are constant, which is important for ranking. Additionally, continental participation is guaranteed, ensuring at least one golfer from each Olympic continent.

To keep his ranking stable, he must, however, continue to play well in forthcoming competitions, particularly the PGA Championship. According to his ranking and current form, he should be ready for Paris 2024, and he is confident about it too.

Xander Schauffele eagerly wishes to compete in Paris

“I’m in right now, and I intend on still playing at a very high level, qualifying for Paris, and getting back and giving myself a run at it again. It’s at the back of my mind right now, but I definitely want to qualify,” said hopeful Xander Schauffele. The USA only has four spots up for grabs, and as per OWGR, there are six golfers at the moment in the top 10. The race for the Summer Olympics is sure heating up.

About this, Schauffele said to SNTV, “If you look at our team, the world rankings are a bit of a free-for-all right now for the American side.” The 30-year-old is keen to replicate his Tokyo 2020 achievement, stating that “two [golds] is better than one.” On what he would do to win, he said, “Just keeping my head down in that category is super important, just week to week, just because you get too far ahead of yourself and you might miss out on that team. I’m going to try my very hardest and really give it a really good push.” 

The qualifying players will be revealed soon, and Xander Schauffele will most likely be one of the 60 selected. However, whether he can repeat his performance is yet to be seen!